My husband, Taiwan passport, is in Thailand on a Ed visa good through Dec. 31, 2022. It’s a paid research position with a major university. University is in the midst of applying for an extension.
He went to Taiwan to visit family, and was not aware that he needed to apply for a re-entry permit, so upon return to BKK they told him to get Visa on Arrival. And required a flight out within 30 days.
So my question: Is he no longer on the Ed visa? Does Visa on arrival supersede his Ed visa?
He is under the impression that the visa on arrival was simply a way for him to enter Thailand, & his Ed visa is still intact. Thanks for any info!
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user's husband, holding a Taiwan passport, originally had an Ed visa valid until Dec. 31, 2022, but lost it upon leaving the country without a re-entry permit. Upon returning, he was issued a Visa on Arrival, which does not restore his Ed visa status. Commenters confirm that the Ed visa was canceled, and he must apply for a new one while managing his current Visa on Arrival.
Yes, he only has his Visa on arrival which is good for 45 days, then he can get it extended by 30 days, in the meantime he needs to get a new Ed visa. If he doesn't he will need to do a border run to get another VOA.
That is correct, the Visa is canceled without a re-entry permit. If you anticipate leaving the country it's always best to get a multiple re-entry permit at the time you get the Ed Visa or any other kind of long stay Visa.
If the immigration officer at the airport was a decent person they should have told him, "your visa will be canceled if you don't go buy a reentry permit." Unfortunately, some people just aren't very nice.
is there really a desk at the end that does that? Have you ever used it? I really don't blame the IO. He's only looking for the entry stamp so he can stamp him out. That's his only job, not to make sure every traveler knows every rule about immigration otherwise no one would catch their flights. It would take too long. He's not concerned about whether he's coming back or not as far as he's concerned he might be leaving Thailand for good. it's up to the traveler to make sure he understands all the visa rules.
If he left the country and didn't apply for a re-entry permit, his ED visa was canceled. He no longer has an ED visa. He needs to contact his school and start the application process again. That was a big mistake.
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